Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to all the families for their lovely messages, emails and words after the announcement of the principal position. I am very honoured to be principal here at St Paul’s and I look forward to working with you all. St Paul’s is a special community and I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of it. I am excited for the journey ahead and am committed to building strong relationships with students, staff and families as we work together to support the learning, growth and wellbeing of every child.

Last week, Jen Hawkins (Regional Principal Consultant from MACS) and I conducted interviews for the Deputy Principal and Religious Education Leader (REL) positions. I am delighted to announce that Kassy Wira has been appointed as Deputy Principal at St Paul’s. Kassy has been acting in the role since Term Two and has proven to be a dedicated and capable leader who is respected by staff, families and students alike. Her passion for learning and wellbeing will be an invaluable asset to our school community and I look forward to working alongside Kassy as we continue to support and strengthen the growth of St Paul’s together. 

I would also like to congratulate Jessica Walker on her appointment as Religious Education Leader. Jess is an exceptional leader who is organised, dedicated and grounded in a strong sense of faith. I warmly welcome her to the leadership team at St Paul’s and look forward to the contributions she will make in this important role.

With several key leadership positions now confirmed, my focus will turn to finalising classroom teacher placements over the coming weeks. As you can appreciate, this is a significant task that requires careful consideration to ensure the best possible combinations for our students and staff.

It’s a busy but very exciting week here at St Paul’s, with a number of events taking place. One of the highlights is our school concert on Wednesday and both staff and students are looking forward to the performances with great enthusiasm. As communicated last week, students will spend Wednesday at OLSH preparing for the show. The current weather forecast predicts rain, so we recommend packing a raincoat for your child as they will be walking to OLSH. The Year 5/6 lead performers will walk to OLSH at approximately 9:00am, with the rest of the school following around 10:30am. We expect to return to school by 2:00pm. Lunch orders will still be available and will be ready for students when they return. Students may be picked up early if you feel your child needs a rest before the show. There are no designated pick up times but all students will need to be signed out of the office if picked up early. Students may wear their sports uniform on the day. They will not need their costumes during the day on Wednesday.

For the performances on Wednesday night, the children are asked to arrive wearing their base costumes (not school uniform). If they require an additional jumper to keep warm that will be fine. They will then be dismissed in these base costumes at the end of the evening. Just a reminder to parents that the students are required for both shows and there will be no parents allowed backstage before, during or after the shows. Also the use of cameras and video cameras is prohibited due to copyright restrictions and child safety regulations. This includes mobile phones. We will have the show recorded and a link will be available for families.

For families who have prepurchased programs, these will be sent home today. There are a limited number of programs available to purchase at the office but once they are gone there will be no more ordered. 

To reduce paper waste, we won’t be sending tickets home on Tuesday as previously communicated. Please use the digital tickets already sent to your email via TryBooking on the night.

Many of the children will be very tired after the late night on Wednesday. I would encourage parents to let their children sleep-in the next morning and arrive at school a little late if it is convenient. All staff will be at school from normal starting time.

This Friday, we’re excited to be hosting our inaugural Twilight Fun Fest, a much anticipated event for the St Paul’s community. A big thank you to the dedicated committee who have spent months planning and preparing for this special evening. Their hard work, through countless meetings, phone calls and emails, has been truly appreciated and has helped bring this event to life. It promises to be a fantastic evening for all and I encourage you to read the attached information for all the important details. Once again, thank you to our amazing Parents & Friends team for their incredible efforts and commitment.

After the beautiful weather we all experienced last week, we woke up today and it feels a little like Winter again! I’m sure the warmer weather is only around the corner. Just a reminder that all students should have transitioned into their Summer uniforms, including hats.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the events this week.

Kind regards

Jussahra Treagus

Upcoming Dates to note

Wednesday 22nd October - School Production Rehearsals at OLSH

Wednesday 22nd October - School Concert 5:30pm & 7:30pm

Friday 24th October - Twilight Fun Fest

Monday 27th October - Tuesday 28th October - Year 4 Camp

Monday 27th October - Assembly 2:50pm

Tuesday 28th October - Prep Melbourne Zoo Excursion

Monday 3rd November - School Closure Day

Tuesday 4th November - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Monday 10th November - Assembly 2:50pm

Monday 10th November - Friday 21st November - School Swimming

Thursday 13th November - Prep Information Night

Thursday 20th November - Prep Orientation 2:30pm

Monday 24th November - Assembly 2:50pm

Thursday 27th November - Prep Orientation 2:30pm

Friday 28th November - School Closure Day

Monday 1st December - Japanese Assembly 2:40pm

Thursday 4th December - Prep Orientation 9:15am

Friday 5th December - House Sports Day

Monday 8th December - Assembly 2:50pm

Thursday 11th December - End of Year Mass 10am

Monday 15th December - Year 6 Last Day/Graduation

Tuesday 16th December - End of Term 4 (Prep - Yr 5) 2:30pm